Adventure Magazine Cover — page 138: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

136 back on the horse, and made as if to cross. Baldy stood fast. —- Pete looked back over his shoulder. “Come on, Baldy. ’Sall right, I tell yuh! Come with Pete, now!’ He increased the tugs on the rope without effect. “Yuh done it now!’ Pete turned fiercely on Eben. “Yuh yanked an’ hauled at her until yuh got her scared!’ “T started jest as easy as you done,” Eben replied testily. ‘‘What’s got into her? Is there somethin’ about this riggin’ we don’t see?’ He uneasily examined the lie of the fallen tree. “She was born an’ raised on worse footin’ than that log,” Pete spat out, his temper betraying his nervous strain. ‘There’s no use her pertendin’ any differ’nt. Yuh yanked at her, that’s what yuh done!”’ Eben started to reply hotly, but re- strained himself. “All right. Take her over, if yo’re so whoopin’ smart!”’ Pete scrambled up to where Baldy stood, and quietly led her away from the crossing. Slowly, though with trembling hands, he rearranged the pack, loosening the cinches, tightening them again, talking casually to the horse as he worked. Finally he gave her a bit of sugar; and with a great air of casualness, endeavored to lead her on to the log. The result was no better than before. “All right, Baldy. We'll jest leave you to forage by yoreself. Come on, Eben. We're goin’ to leave Baldy behind.” He looped her lead rope on to her pack again, and started purposefully across the log. “So long, Baldy.” Without once looking back the two men strode across the log, and began to climb the ragged slope. Not until they were a hundred yards above the fallen tree did they stop behind a huge slab of rock. Cau- tiously they peered back— “She ain’t comin’! exclaimed Pete. “She ain’t nowhere!” “See?” said Eben. with me!” Abandoning their futile subterfuge, they dashed incontinently down the rock slides and across the tree. Eben hurried straight to the steep, unpromising gulley in which he had found her before. The crooked wash twisted away upward into a wilder- ness of granite and barren, massive havoc; but far above their eyes found it where it ~eappeared. ‘“‘Same way she done Alan Le May “No hoss would go up there,” Pete snorted. “Ts that right?” sneered Eben. ‘Well, there she is, anyway!” Far above they could now see Baldy, climbing busily. 7 “Well, fer the lo-ove o’ forty million yaller snakes!’ exclaimed Pete. With one accord they raised their cupped hands to their mouths and shouted upward ‘until the rock masses rang with their cracked old voices. and stopped. Many minutes later they reached her, where she stood waiting for them to come up. Back down they went, to try new tactics. Once more they tried to divert Baldy’s mind, and lead her in peace to the brink. But this time Eben remained be- hind her, and it was a slip noose about her throat, instead of her usual halter shank, with which Baldy was led. At a given signal Pete threw his weight upon the rope, and Eben set his shoulder to her haunches and pushed with all his strength. Baldy sat down, her four feet braced; then her iron shod hooves slipped on the steep rock, and she began the fifteen foot slide down the shoulder to the tree. Pete slacked off on the rope as Baldy was seen to be un- able to stop herself, and Eben recovered his balance. One of Baldy’s front feet found a tiny crevice, and she checked a little; then Pete hauled on the rope again, and Baldy slid on. Suddenly, as the rope slacked again, Baldy made a last frantic resistance. Pawing madly for the crevice her foot had found, she turned herself half around, scrambling desperately to get back up the bulge of rock. Terror leaped in the eyes of the two old men. If Baldy should miss her footing, their horse would in a few seconds be a broken thing, rolling and tossing down the cafion in the clutch of old Snowbeard, a hundred feet below. There seemed only one chance to save her—by turning her head once more to the fallen tree that meant secure footing. Swiftly Pete took up the slack of the rope and pulled. The pull loosened Baldy from what foot- hold she possessed, but failed to turn her head. Scrambling in utter panic she slid down the granite bulge hind feet first, while both men held their breath. Slowly, Baldy heard, looked around, GOMIIGIOO S C@